What I've Learned From My Kid's Feet

Continuing on with our week-long celebration of Mother's Day...

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Both my kids were late walkers. Are you ready for this? They didn't start walking till they were 18 months old. For those who don't have kids, that is late. That is past the point of people asking if we have gotten them evaluated for development problems. That is the point you begin to be paranoid that your child has something horribly wrong with them.

Finally they decided to give walking a try.

I learned something watching them take those first steps. I learned that baby steps go somewhere. They may only come one, two, or three at a time. They are often followed by a sudden fall. They wobble and shift in the direction they take, but baby steps take you places.

I'm happy to report that both my kids now walk exceptionally well. They know how to balance, how to pace their speed , and how run. They can even do cool tricks like walking backwards, jump, stand on their tip toes & hop. They aren't behind anymore.

Their little feet that now roam the back yard on various adventures or dash around in a game of chase didn't start out that way. I remember their humble beginnings. They began with all their focus and energy to simply figure out how to get one foot in front of another. A single small achievement at a time. They kept trying & eventually those fumbling baby steps turned into confident strides.

I have a lot to learn from them. I have so many goals and dreams I want to achieve and accomplish. But I resent baby steps. I want to run full speed into them, not slowly put one foot in front of the other. So often I am frustrated the movement forward is mundane & small.

But if I keep at it, one small step, by one small step, I will move forward. Eventually I won't crash into so many barriers. I will stop awkwardly shifting directions mid-stride. It will become natural.

I just have to remember to stop being so frustrated. To stop complaining that I am not 'there' yet. I just have to keep moving. One foot at a time. One idea, email and conversation at a time.